Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders – Heads & Tails Vol. 1 (Blue LP Vinyl)

Learn more about this release in our Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders's Heads & Tails Vol. 1 announcement from September 2009 on jambands.com.

Pressed on limited edition blue vinyl, Heads & Tails Vol. 1 documents Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders' ongoing musical partnership through live performances and studio sessions from the early 1970s. Garcia and Saunders had been playing together since 1970 at small San Francisco clubs like the Matrix and Keystone, developing a jazz-influenced, organ-driven sound that provided Garcia an outlet beyond the Grateful Dead's demands. The blue vinyl pressing adds visual appeal to music that captures Garcia in his most relaxed and exploratory mode, playing for the pure joy of it rather than meeting audience expectations.

The performances on Heads & Tails lean heavily on jazz standards, R&B classics, and extended improvisations that emphasize groove and interplay over composed passages. Saunders' Hammond B3 organ provides the harmonic foundation, allowing Garcia to explore with a warmer, jazzier tone than his Dead sound—less distortion, more emphasis on melodic phrasing and sustain. Tracks like "Hi-Heel Sneakers," "Finders Keepers," and "Lonely Avenue" receive treatments that lock into deep pockets, giving Garcia and Saunders room to trade ideas without the structural demands of Dead songs.

What makes this blue vinyl edition collectible is the format combined with the music's rarity—Garcia-Saunders recordings have always been somewhat harder to find than Garcia's work with the Dead or even the Jerry Garcia Band. These performances reveal Garcia playing music he loved with a close friend, exploring jazz and R&B traditions without pressure. The blue vinyl transforms a valuable musical document into a display piece, appealing to both listeners and collectors.

Limited edition blue vinyl. Early-1970s Jerry Garcia-Merl Saunders performances. Jazz and R&B influenced improvisations. Matrix and Keystone club recordings.